The Effects of Commuter Pedestrian Traffic on the Use of Stairs in an Urban Setting

Abstract

Purpose. Most public health physical activity guidelines now encourage people to look for opportunities to accumulate physical activity throughout the day. Climbing stairs in lieu of riding escalators is a prime opportunity to make healthier choices that promote active living. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of pedestrian commuter traffic on choices to ride an escalator, walk up an escalator, or walk up adjacent stairs in a busy urban subway station at rush hour. Design. A total of 9766 commuters were observed by two recorders for a 2.5-hour period during the morning rush hour over 8 weeks as to whether the commuters walked up stairs or rode an adjacent escalator in a subway station. The number of observations per 5-minute block was recorded, and an index of commuter traffic was computed. Demographic information and use of escalators/stairs were also recorded. Setting. An urban subway station with a two-flight staircase adjacent to an escalator. Participants. Adult commuters travelling to work during the morning rush hour. Measures. Physical activity choices were examined in relation to commuter traffic. Demographic information, such as age, race, and weight status, were also considered. Analysis. A χ2 analysis was used to examine differences in proportions across variables of interest. Means were compared by using multivariate analysis of variance, and confidence intervals were computed. Results. During the least-heavy commuter traffic period, only 11.2% of commuters chose to walk up the stairs, whereas significantly more did so during moderate 18.7% and high 20.8% commuter traffic periods (χ2 = 61.8, p < .001). During low-traffic times, significantly more commuters (21.4%) walked up the escalators compared with moderate-traffic (18.0%) or high-traffic (18.3%) periods. African-American commuters passively rode the escalator more (68.2%) than white commuters (56.7%), and their patterns were less affected by commuter traffic (p < .05). Conclusion. Congestion in public places can have a significant effect on opportunities for choosing active versus passive options in moving through public places. Urban planners should consider this when designing facilities in busy locations.